Waste reforms ‘could cut £250 from council tax bills’

Reforms proposed by the waste industry could cut household’s council tax bills by £250 each year.

The Environmental Services Association (ESA) claims its proposed policy changes to the sector could also attract private investment worth £10 billion, increase waste processing capacity by 15 million tonnes, save up to £4 billion of public money and create 50,000 jobs.

Its new strategy paper outlines policies to ensure Britain’s £11 billion waste and resource management network can continue to be sustainable and competitive in a global market.

The trade association’s main suggestions are to make producers responsible for funding waste collection and processing, to build resilient recovery and recycling markets and to combine waste services to become more efficient.

The paper also highlights the importance of driving out waste crime – which is said to cost the UK economy up to £810 million each year and undermines investment in the sector.

ESA Executive Director Jacob Hayler said: “The waste and resource management industry provides a critical service to Britain’s economy. Each year, the industry turns over an estimated £11 billion, employing around 100,000 people and ensuring that the huge volume of material discarded every day is collected and managed effectively.

“However, as the recent Brexit vote demonstrates, the world is changing and as a result, the framework which governs the work we do must change with it. The proposed strategy will ensure that Britain has a world leading and sustainable waste and resource management network which can be competitive in what is now a global market and deliver efficiency, increase productivity and employment and crucially, create economic growth.”